Huskers Back Home to Battle Cowboys

Dual No. 13:<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

No. 22/20 <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska (7-5) vs. No. 4/4 OklahomaState (12-4)

NU Coliseum?Lincoln, Neb.?Thursday, Feb. 1

Series History: OklahomaState leads, 46-2-1
Last Meeting: OklahomaState won, 27-15, on Feb. 3, 2006 in Stillwater, Okla.

Promotion: Dollar Days ($1 admission, hot dogs and Pepsi products)

 

Nebraska Returns Home to Take on Cowboys on Dollar Days

The 20th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team returns home to the NU Coliseum for Dollar Days on Thursday, Feb. 1 as the Huskers take on defending national champion OklahomaState at 7 p.m.  Both teams are coming off road Big 12 losses, as NU fell to second-ranked Missouri, 31-11, and the Cowboys lost to third-ranked IowaState, 21-12. 

 

Oklahoma State has won the last 12 duals between the two schools since a 18-18 tie on Jan. 13, 1995 at the Reno Tournament of Champions.  Still, Nebraska has been competitive with the Cowboys in recent years.  In two of the last three duals between the two schools, Nebraska has had an opportunity to win the dual in the final match.  In the semifinals of the 2006 National Duals, the Huskers were within two points of the Cowboys going into the heavyweight match at 16-14 before a major decision win for OSU gave the Cowboys a 20-14 win.  The 2005 regular season matchup between the two schools was even more hotly contested.  Then top-ranked OklahomaState won, 19-18, but needed a major decision victory at heavyweight to earn the winning margin.  Both the Cowboys and the third-ranked Huskers won five matches, but it was OklahomaState’s four bonus-point wins that proved to be the difference. 

 

Last Time Out: No. 2 Missouri 33, No. 20 Nebraska 11, Jan. 28, 2006, Columbia, Mo.

The 20th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team got early wins from Dominick Moyer and Chris Oliver, but second-ranked Missouri defeated the Huskers, 31-11.  Moyer gave NU an early four-point lead by earning a major decision win at 141 pounds over Ashtin Primus, 15-2.  Moyer took control of the match early with a takedown of Primus 40 seconds into the match.  Moyer rode Primus for the rest of the period and earned a pair of three-point nearfalls.

 

Two matches later, Oliver would give Nebraska a 7-6 lead three matches into the dual with his 4-3 victory over Michael Chandler at 157 pounds.  Oliver tied the match at 3-all with a takedown with four seconds remaining in the second period, then took the lead for good with an escape 48 seconds into the third period after starting the final stanza down.

 

Missouri won the next five duals in the match to build an 18-point lead with two matches remaining.  At 174 pounds, Marc Harwood fell to top-ranked Ben Askren by major decision, 20-9.  Harwood scored an escape and a takedown midway through the second period to draw within two at 8-6, but Askren would score five takedowns in the final three minutes to earn the major decision.

 

At 125 pounds, Paul Donahoe broke Missouri’s winning streak with a 19-7 major decision win over John Olanowski.  Donahoe took control of the match in the second period.  After notching six points in the first 38 seconds of the stanza, Donahoe would earn two more takedowns to build a 9-2 lead heading to the third period, in which he would score four more takedowns on his way to victory.

 

Scouting OklahomaState

No. 4 Oklahoma State is in transition after having to replace five NCAA Championships qualifiers from last year’s national championship squad.  Still, led by top-ranked Johny Hendricks at 165 pounds, the Cowboys field a potent lineup with three wrestlers ranked in the top 10 in their respective weight classes.  Along with Hendricks, 133-pound wrestler Coleman Scott and 141-pounder Nathan Morgan return after making significant contributions to OSU’s championship run, their fourth straight national championship.  The Cowboys are coming off a 21-12 loss at third-ranked IowaState on Sunday. 

 

Last Matchup: OklahomaState 27, Nebraska 15, Feb. 3, 2006, Stillwater, Okla.

The fifth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team picked up pins from 197-pound wrestler B.J. Padden and 141-pound wrestler Dominick Moyer, but it wasn’t enough as second-ranked Oklahoma State won seven of ten matches and defeated the Huskers, 27-15 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla. 

 

Oklahoma State took an early lead after a win by technical fall by third-ranked Zack Esposito at 149 pounds.  Nebraska answered in the following match, as 16th-ranked Chris Oliver used a reversal earned early in the third period to defeat 15th-ranked Kevin Ward, 3-1, at 157 pounds.  Oliver started the period down 1-0 in the match, but reversed Ward early in the third frame and rode Ward for the duration of the match to earn the bonus point for riding time advantage.

After three straight losses, fifth-ranked B.J. Padden broke the losing string with a pin of second-ranked Jake Rosholt at 197 pounds.  The fall marked Padden’s third win in his last four matches against Rosholt.  Padden has won 16 of his last 17 matches and is now 11 wins away from 100 in his career.  The win brought NU to within six of the Cowboys, but OklahomaState would rebuild their lead, though, with three straight wins. 

 

In the final match of the night, Dominick Moyer pinned Justin Porter 49 seconds into the second period of their 141-pound match.  Moyer, the 19th-ranked 141-pound wrestler, took control of the match early in the second period with a reversal, then earned the fall later in the period.  The win was Moyer’s third straight win by fall and his fifth straight win overall.

 

Husker Wrestling Adds Rice to Roster

After the season-ending injury to Jon May, Nebraska was left without a heavyweight on the roster just one month into the season.  Enter Thomas Rice, a Lincoln East graduate who is a defensive end on the Husker football team.  Rice joined the NU wrestling squad soon after the football team returned from the Cotton Bowl, and made his debut as Husker wrestler with a 2-2 showing at the 2007 Dana College Open Jan. 6 in Blair, Neb.  Rice made his dual debut for Nebraska at the National Duals, moving into a heavyweight spot in which the Huskers forfeited at heavyweight for five straight duals. 

 

A member of two state championship teams at Lincoln East and a high school All-American after a sixth-place finish at the Greco Roman National Championships, Rice is not the first Husker heavyweight to come over from the football ranks under head coach Mark Manning.  Mitch Manstedt also participated in both sports during his time at Nebraska.  A three-year starter, Manstedt joined the wrestling team his freshman year in mid-January 2001 after the football season, then wrestled full-time for the duration of his college career. 

 

Experienced but Young Huskers Set to Tackle the 2006-07 Season

Nebraska was in a unique position entering the 2006-07 season.  The Huskers returned eight starters and seven NCAA qualifiers from last year’s team, which ranked among the highest total in those two categories in Mark Manning’s seven years as the Huskers’ head coach.  However, the two seniors on Nebraska’s roster matched the fewest that Manning has had at NU.   

 

Both experience and youth have proven valuable for Manning as Nebraska’s coach.  When the Huskers had only two seniors in 2001-02, they rebounded from an 8-9 regular season to take eighth at the NCAA Championships, the program’s 14th top-10 finish.  The two times that Nebraska returned eight starters (2004 and 2005), the Huskers won 19 duals and, in 2004, took fifth at nationals.

 

Three Accomplished Student-Athletes Join NU Wrestling

Nebraska head wrestling coach Mark Manning announced the signing of three student-athletes during the early signing period that will join the Huskers for the 2007-08 academic year.  The three signees, Andy Pokorny of Bennington, Neb., Tucker Lane of Nucla, Colo., and Chris Hacker of El Reno, Okla., represent Nebraska’s continued success in wrestling both on and off the mat.

 

Pokorny is a two-time state champion, winning last year’s class C crown at 112 pounds after winning in 2005 at 103.  A 2006 Junior Freestyle All-American, Pokorny is the fourth-ranked 112-pound wrestler in the nation by Wrestling USA and is the 52nd ranked high school wrestler overall by Intermat.  His accomplishments are not limited to the mat, however, as he is currently second in his class with at 3.935 GPA and a 30 on his ACT.

 

Lane also comes to Nebraska with glittering athletic and academic credentials.  A two-time state champion, Lane is the nation’s second-ranked 215-pound wrestler by Wrestling USA and is the 40th ranked high school wrestler overall, according to Intermat, which has recognized him as a four-star recruit.  Lane also was a Junior Freestyle All-American in 2006.  Like Pokorny, Lane is also accomplished in the classroom.  He earned a 31 on his ACT and entered his senior year at NuclaHigh School with a 4.25 GPA, tops in his graduating class.

 

A four-time Cadet All-American and two-time Junior All-American, Hacker also joins the Huskers with an impressive resume at both the state and national levels.  Hacker captured the Class 4A championships at 152 pounds last year, and is the No. 6 152-pounder according to Wrestling USA and is the 53rd-best high school wrestler in the nation, according to Intermat.  Hacker also received recruiting attention from Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Missouri, among others.

 

Tough Road To Detroit Awaits Nebraska

The Nebraska wrestling program has always dealt with a difficult schedule in the Big 12 Conference.  But few years have seen one conference so thoroughly dominate the rankings.  In both major polls, three of the top four teams in the nation are from the Big 12.  After wrestling sixth-ranked Iowa and fifth-ranked Hofstra at the National Duals, the Huskers’ schedule now includes the top six teams in the nation.  The National Duals began a challenging stretch of the schedule for Nebraska, in which they will face the top six teams in the nation in a month-long stretch between Jan. 13 to Feb. 11.  The Huskers, one of only three teams in the nation to see five of the preseason top six in the nation on their schedule,will have wrestled eight of the top 10 teams in the nation after this month-long stretch.  11 of Nebraska’s last 12 dual opponents are ranked, including a stretch of 10 straight ranked dual opponents.

Non-Varsity Notes

Eight Nebraska non-varsity wrestlers finished in the top four in their respective weight classes at the Glen Brand Open on Saturday, Jan. 20 in Omaha, Neb.  Matt Vacanti won the championship at 125 pounds, while Patrick Aleksanyan finished second at 133 and Andy Johnson took second at 174.  Cody Foust (165) and Casey Roberts (184) earned third-place finishes, while Austin Baier (141), Casey Gubbels (149) and Rob Plambeck (157) took fourth in their respective weight classes.  The Brand Open is the last scheduled non-varsity competition for NU wrestlers this season.

 

In the first weekend of the season, Vacanti was the lone Husker to place at the Harold Nichols Open.  Vacanti took third with a 5-3 win over Robert Struthers of Wartburg at 125 pounds. Baier advanced to the semifinals at 141 pounds before he was defeated by Joey Slaton of Iowa.  Meanwhile, a pair of true freshmen earned gold medals at the Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyo.  Curtis Salazar was 4-0 in a championship run in the amateur division at 149 pounds, while Stephen Dwyer was 4-0 en route to the 165-pound amateur championship.

 

At the Kaufman-Brand Open on Nov. 18, the Huskers were led by Vacanti, who dominated the field on his way to the championship in the 125-pound amateur bracket.  He won his first three matches in the tournament by fall in a total of 7:12.  Vacanti defeated Terrance Young of Iowa Central by decision, 3-1, before knocking off OklahomaState’s Ben Ashmore, 3-2, in the finals.  In addition to Vacanti’s title, a pair of Nebraska wrestlers earned third-place finishes in their respective amateur brackets, including Salazar at 149 pounds and Dwyer at 165 pounds.  Jordan Burroughs took fourth at 149 pounds, while Gubbels and Cameron Browne finished in fifth place at 141 and 197, respectively.  Alex Ward finished sixth at 165 pounds.  On Dec. 2, Vacanti earned a third-place finish at 125 pounds to lead the Huskers’ effort at the UNI Open.  Salazar finished fourth at 149 pounds at the UNK Loper Open on Dec. 9 in Kearney, Neb.

 

Five Nebraska wrestlers earned top-four finishes at the Dana College Open on Jan. 6 in Blair, Neb.  The Huskers were led by Browne, who won the 197-pound championship. Baier (133) and Robert Sanders (149) finished third in their respective weight classes, while Derek Moyer (149) and Foust (165) earned fouth-place finishes.

 

Next up: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, Friday, Feb. 9, 2007, McCasland Field House, Norman, Okla.

Nebraska returns to the road to take on 13th-ranked Oklahoma on Friday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. at the McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla.  The 8-4 Sooners are led by top-ranked Sam Hazewinkel at 125 pounds and second-ranked 149-pound wrestler Matt Storniolo.  The series between Oklahoma and Nebraska has been a hotly contested one, as three of the last four duals between the schools have been decided by five points or less.  Two days later, the Huskers return home to take on No. 1 Minnesota at the NU Coliseum at 1 p.m.  Dustin Schlatter and Cole Konrad are No. 1 at 149 pounds and heavyweight, respectively.  The Golden Gophers are 14-1 on the season and earned the NWCA National Duals championship earlier this season.